On 3 July 1956, prior to even entering civil service, the Alouette II was responsible for breaking new ground when it became the first helicopter to perform a
mountain rescue mission, having been deployed to evacuate a mountaineer who had suffered from cardiac arrest at over . Shortly thereafter, large-scale orders for the type were received from several foreign nations, including the
United Kingdom,
Federal Republic of Germany, and
Austria. Almost immediately upon entering service, French forces commenced active combat operations using their fledgling Alouette II fleet; the type being placed into heavy use in the
Algerian War, during which it made valuable contributions to France's activities in the theatre. Early operations were flown with an emphasis on its use by the
Army and
British South Africa Police, including
paramilitary and aerial reconnaissance operations. Throughout the 1960s, the type progressively spread into additional roles, including
aerial supply,
casualty evacuation, communications relays, and troop-transports. Rhodesian aerial operations would typically involve flying under relatively high and hot conditions, which reduced the efficiency of aircraft in general; however, the Alouette II proved to be both hardy and relatively resistant to battle damage. In order to extend the inadequate range of the type, fuel caches were strategically deployed across the country to be used for refuelling purposes. Over time, the
Rhodesian Security Forces developed an innovative deployment tactic of rapidly encircling and enveloping enemies, known as the
Fireforce, for which the Alouette II served as a core component. By 1975, at which point production of the type was terminated, in excess of 1,300 Alouette IIs had been constructed. The rotorcraft was also in use in over 80 countries, including 47 separate armed forces. The Alouette II was produced and sold
under licence by Brazil, Sweden, India and in the United States. During July 2018, a single Alouette II was involved in the
helicopter prison escape of the French gangster
Rédoine Faïd. The rotorcraft, which had been hijacked by gang members who held the pilot hostage at gunpoint, flew into the courtyard of
Réau prison, before flying to
Roissy in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris; the event allegedly occurred in under ten minutes from take-off to escape. ==Variants==